Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, . . . for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. —Exodus 20:8-11. This We Believe/10 Gerhard F. Hasel God’s perpetual gift to man of the Sabbath has been going on now for about one hundred years. Scholars have developed hypotheses that the Sabbath is derived from astrological, agricultural, or sociological backgrounds. However, sof, neither a. single hypothesis, nor any combination thereof, has been successful in providing an answer to the question of the origin of the Sabbath,’ To cur present knowledge, the Sabbath asa weekly day of rest and worship is unique to Biblical religion and faith. No pagan nation or people in the ancient world are known to have kept the seventh-day Sabbach or worshiped on it. Secular sources may be silent om this topic, but Seripture is unambiguous about the origin of the Sabbath. Ie presents the seventh-day Sabbath as a lasting sift of God from Creation to all mankind. Its beginning i linked to the climax of Creation week (see Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:11; 31:17). The Inspired Record states, “Thus the heavens and earch were completed, all heir hosts. And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done ‘Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Gen. 2:1-3, N.A.S.B)." This first scripture on the Sabbath expresses a number of key ideas: 1. Creation reaches its goal of completion and perfection in the seventh-day Sabbath. ‘Thus the seventh day of each, week is a renewed Creation Sabbath, a day of sacred time derive from the beginning of history. While ancient cosmogonies of the Canaanites and the Babylonians concluded in temple build- Gethard F. Havel, Ph.D, is dean of the Theological Seminary, Andrews Univer: sity, Berrien Springs, Michigan. ing, that is, in sacred space, the Biblical Creation narrative concludes with the inauguration of che Sabbath, that is, the origin of sacted time. 2. God rested from all His work that He had done on. the Sabbath. God's resting (ef. Ex. 20:11; 31:17) provides an. example for man Mankind, made in the image of God, i 0 follow his creative Exemplar by resting on the seventh day as the Creator has done. Resting in the sense of cessation from regular activity means for every person a sift of time for communion with one’s Creator and Lord. 3. God bleed the Sabbath. When in Scripture God blesses a thing or # being, dav ching ur being fs imbued with the power of fruitless and prosperity, providing life, happiness, and success. The Lord of life who in, His creative work had blessed fishes and birds (see Gen. 1:22) and then Adama and Eve (see verse 28), also Blessed the Sabbath as the day of rest, thus equipping ie with enlivening, vitalizing, and beneficial power. This blessedness of the Sabbath is to enrich mankind's existence and life. 4 God sanctfed the Sabbath. This divine act of sanetifying and thus dividing the Sab- bath from the remaining days of activity imbues it with a holiness not possessed by any other day. "Thisdivision beeween the day of rest and the working days sto prove itself as much of a benefit to man as the division of ight from darkness." We must ako note that holiness is an act of God's bbestowal and not of man's doing. Holiness forthe day of rest is derived, not from man keeping this day holy, but from a prior divine action. These foundational aspects of the Sab- bath, rooted in the divine activities at the climax of Creation, provide bouneiful and meaningful life for man and invoke in him a worship response. G. H. Waterman's insightful summary is worth quoting: “It seems clear, therefore, that the divine origin and institution of the Sabbath took place atthe beginning of human history ‘Ac that time God not only provided divine example for Keeping the seventh day asa day of rest, but also blessed and set apart the seventh day for the use and ‘benefit of man." Is fully evident, then, that the Sabbath originated at Creation and not at Moune Sinai or later in Israel's history Biblical support for the origin of the seventh-day Sabhath at Creation is found not only. inthe Old Testament (sce parcicularly Ex. 20:11; 31:17) but is also explicitly supported in the New Testament in Hebrews 4:1-11 and impliciely by Jesus Hansel im Mark 2:27: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” Jesus affirms that the Sabbath was made forthe benefit of man, protect: ing his physical, spiritual, and. social well-being Lord of the Sabbath Jesus Christ announced that He Himself is Lond...» of the sabbath” (Mark 2:28; Mart. 12:8). The New Testament gives ample evidence that the world was made by Jesus Christ (see John 1:3; Col. 1:16, 17; Heb, 1:1-3), indicating that He isthe active agent in Creation. Atthe beginning of human history, the Creator of man and the world made the Sabbath for the benefit and blessing of mankind. The Old Testament has repeated refer- ences to the seventh day as “the sabbath of the Lord’ (see Ex. 20:10; Lev. 23:3, 38; Deut. 5:14), and time and again the Lord speaks in Scripcure of “my sabbaths" (see Ex. 31:13; Lev. 19:3, 30; 26:25 Isa. 56:4; Eze, 20:12-24; 22:8, et cetera). Jesus afirmation of being “Lord of the Sabbath” may reflect this Old Testament emphasis con His Lordship over againstall others who claimed to beable to puta fence around it, His Lordship over the Sabbath is related to His Lordship over man. As man, fallen under the domination of alien powers, is MINISTRYISEPTEMBER/I982. 21freed from all false, ritualistic, and legalis- tic ways, so the Sabbath is also freed by Jesus Chtst from its multitude of ritualistic and legalistic regulations superimposed on itby human powers in postexilic Judaism (One source cites 1,521 derivative Sab- bath laws.)> ‘As “Lord ofthe Sabbath” Jesus Christ is the great restorer of the Sabbath. In His lifeand ministry, Jesusin no way abrogated cr annulled the Sabbath. He lifted i o its rightful and proper place, restoring. its ‘meaning and dignity and putting it back as a center of blessing for mankind. The Gospels record no less than seven Sabbath healing miracles. Ac che very beginning of His public ministry, Jesus healed a demon-possessed man in a synagogue on the Sabbath (see Mark 1:21-28; Luke 431-37) and followed this act with the Sabbath healing of Peter's mother-in-law (Gee Mark 129-31; Luke 4:38, 39). The redemptive liberation of hurmans from evil powers or disease is thus linked co the Sabbath. The Sabbath healing of the man with the withered hand (see Mark 3:1-6) demonstrates that in spite of legalistic Jewish restrictions it is “lawful on the ‘sabbath to do good ...fand] to save life” (verse 4, RLS.V.).£ Jesus was again teach ing in a synagogue on another Sabbath when He miraculously healed an infirm woman, He defended the healing as an activity completely appropriate for the Sabbath day—a release of the wornan from Sacan’s bond (see Luke 13:10-17) ‘The Messianic liberator also liberates the Sabbath from human tradition, The healing of the man with dropsy on the Sabbath (see chap. 14:1-4) demonstrated this once again. The two Sabbath healings recorded in the Gospel of John (chaps. 5:l-18; 9) indicate the intimate connee- tion between Christ's redemptive work and the Sabbath. In both actions Christ broke again with the Sabbach laws of the rabbis (see chaps. 5:10, 16; 9:14-16), liberating the Sabbath from human restric tions and setting it free 0 be the kind of blessing He originally designed it to be for mankind, These incidents reveal that Christ’ claim to be “Lord... of the sabbath” (Mate. 12:8; Mark 2:28) was a claim to be the restorer ofthe true meaning ‘and purpose of the Sabbath, revealing its divine intention, aim, and goal for the benefit of men and women atevery stage of ligand in ever age ving of 3 famous incident of the plucking of the eats of grain by the disciples on a Sabbath day (see Matt. 12:1-8;, Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5) was regarded by Jewish authorities as Sabbathbreaking, because “by plucking the ears of grain they were guilty of reaping, by rubbing them in their hands they were guilty of threshing, by separating the grain from the husk they were guilty of winnowing: and by the whole procedure they were guiley of preparing a ‘meal on. the Sabbath day.”* In. defense, Jesus referred to David eating the shew: 22. MINISTRY/SEPTEMBERI982 bread in the temple when he was hungry (see I Sam. 211-7), arguing that if was right for David to eat bread dedicated for sacred use, then His disciples could surely allay their hunger by plucking grain on sacred time. Thus Jesus set aside rabbinical laws and freed the Sabbath from legalistic restrictions and casuistry. “These various incidents reveal that Jesus restored the Sabbath t0 its intended meaning, freeing it from human traditions that tended to enslave both the Sabbath and its keeper in legalism. Jesus Himself kept the Sabbath in its real intent and thus set an exaraple for His followers through- ut time. He is che exemplar and model of tue Sabbathkeeping from the day early in His ministry when He read the Seripeure in the Nazareth synagogue and observed the Sabbath “as his custom was” (see Luke 416), through the days of doing good on the Sabbath, to His rest ac last in the grave con the Sabbath, Indeed, Jesus Christ is in every sense the Lord of the Sabbath, asthe Sabbath is in every sense the day of the Lord, We believe there is no seriprural evidence that either Jesus or His disciples ever changed the Sabbath to Sunday.” This change took place much later.* Gift of divine rest The Creator's own rest provides a foundation for man’s rest on the seventh- day Sabbath (See Gen. 2:1-3), The fourth commandment in the Decalogue affirms explicitly, “In it you shall noe do any work, . .' for in six days the Lord made ‘heaven andl earth, thesea, and all that isin them, and rested the seventh day’” (Ex. 20:11, R.S.V.). The seventh day is iden- tified 'as Sabbath. This distinction had already been illustrated in the earlier ‘manna experience (see chap. 16:23, 25, 26). Ie should also be noted that “the seventh day is a sabbath to [or for} the Lord?” (chap. 20:10, R.S.V.; 16:23, 25; 3115; 35:2; Lev. 23:3; Deut. 5:14), indicating that che Sabbath is owned, as it were, by God, who graciously gives it as @ gift of resto His people following the six days that are designated for huraan labor. ‘The Sabbath commandment requires smen “to keep it holy" (Ex. 20:8). We have already noted that the Sabbath derives its holiness from an act of God at Creation (See Gen, 2:3; Ex, 20:11). God's command “to keep it [the Sabbath] holy” is both a charge and an invitation and involves: (1) following the divine Exempla’s patter of rest; (2) acknowledging the Exemplar as Creator: (3) accepting Goss gift of rest every seventh day; (4) participating in dlivine rest; and (5) refraining from work and activity appropriate for the six days during which humans shall labor and do all their work, Indeed, “cessation from work fon the seventh day amounted to a rite of communion with the cosmic ereator.”* Allin all, iis what God has done for man thac causes man to keep holy the Sabbath day by laying aside all the activity usually sociated with his livelihood. After all, God graciously provided enough time, six clays per week, for these pursuits. The gift of six days of purposeful activity each week is followed by the seventh-day Sabbath, a greater gift of holy time in which man is freed from the normal cares of life. Simply put, the Sabbath is the divine giftof sacred time, hallowed and set apare by God for ‘man, to provide rest from labor, freedom for fellowship and communion with both God and fellow man, and a weekly foretaste of the rest for which the whole creation yearns (cf. Isa, 66:22, 23; Heb. 41-10), A gift of redemptive liberation [Ac times some claim that the Sabbath was fast instigated atthe giving ofthe law fon Mount Sinai. But Istel kept the Sabbath and were taught its meaning before the Mount Sinai experience, Exo- dhs 16 clearly indicates that Israel were provided with the mraculousgift of manna for physical food on each ofthe six working days of the week. The manna kept Isael alive after their redemptive release fom, Egypran slavery, and itwas the occasion of renewing in their minds che greater git, the seventh-day Sabbath, for on the Sabbath no marina fell, in order to teach God's people that physical liberation is but the prelude co the Sabbath experience when redemption is celebrated as God's silt. The Sabbath is “sabbath feast” (Ex 16:25; sabbaton), not a. day of taboos, fasting, and mourning. [thas festive ring, designed in its celebration to expres ov, happiness, and satisfaction. Tris also striking that the Sabbath was designed as well to remind Israel. that “you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out thence with a mighty band and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your wamanaled you to keep the sabbath (Deut. 55, RSV:). This text The Sabbath is the divine gift of sacred time, set apart by God for man, to provide rest from labor, freedom for fellowship and communion, and a weekly foretaste of the rest for which the whole creation yearns.elaborates the soteriological aspect of the ‘Sabbath. In Exodus 20:11, God's Creation and His subsequent rest’ are given a8 a motivational reason for celebrating the Sabbath as holy; in Deuteronomy 5:15 the divine act of redemption and liberation is cited as a motivational reason for Sabbath celebration. We need to keepin mind that the Exodus event isan act of “Creation” in which a people is brought into existence im and sh ems en analogy to God's Creation at the begin- ring when a world is brought into exist- tence. The creative act of deliverance from servitude is to be remembered and thus celebrated and reexperienced by each one who Keeps the Sabbath. The believer himself is a new creation and becomes jin Gots people, the Loay of Chui ‘Therefore, on the Sabbath day we are recalling and remembering our Maker, and ‘One who acted in the creation of the physical world (see Gen 1:1, 25 3; Ex 20:11) and who acted again in the creation ‘of His people (see Deut. 5:15) and in our ‘own re-creation. The Sabbath isa gift day, celebrating God's Creation of world and man, of His people, and of our own individual re-creation to new life in Him, This liberation aspect of the Sabbath extended to the entire household, includ- ing those of an inferior status such as mmanservant and maidservant (see Ex. 20:10). On the Sabbath everyone in society, high and low, resident and alien, is to rest together. This liberation from work and freedom to est makes all human beings equal, whatever thei seatus in life (On the Sabbath men stand as equals before Gaal and in soctery. As such, the Sabbath isa preencantcparon ofthe echaolog ical removal of every sort of inequality. Even in the here and now the Sabbath already functions asa gift and points tothe liberation of humans from all sorts. of societal inequities and inequalities. A gift of belonging ‘Once Goal had created His people in the liberating and redemptive Exodus event, He graciously offered to enter into a profound covenant relation with them in ‘order to provide them the power and the means to remain a redeemed, liberated, and free people under Him. A basic part of this redemptive covenant given to Israel fon Mount Sinai (see Exodus 19-24) was the Ten Commandments, at the heart of which is the Sabbath commandment. According to Exodus 31:13, the Sabbath is singled out as """a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you mayknow that |, che Lord, sanctify you"”” (R'S.V.; cf, Eze. 20:12, 20), Iris revealed here that the Sabbath is God's covenant “sign” between Himself and His people, who are to observe “'**the sabbath throughout their generationsasa perpetual covenant”? (Ex. 31:16, R.S.V.). ‘The Sabbath’s nature as a “sign” relates both to God and to man. As the rainbow is « perpetual guarantee that God will never again destroy all flesh on earth by a universal flood (see Gen. 9:13, 15), s0 the Sabbath is a “sign of guarantee” whereby God assures in His efficacious grace that He will sanctify His people and make them holy. Because the Sabbath is part of the covenant that establishes the beneficial relationship between God and His people, ic has been pointed out that “the Creatot has stamped on world history the sign of the sabbath as his seal of ownership and authority.” = Indeed, che Sabbath com- mandment identifies (1) the Lord of the Sabbath as Creator (Bx. 20:11; 31:17);and 2) the sphete of His ownership’ and authority—‘heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Ex. 20:11, RSV). The Sable funtion a 6 “sign” ot a “seal” having characteristics typical of seals ratifying ancient Near Eastern international treaty documents. ‘This nature of the Sabbath as a sign of seal allows the true Sabbathkeeper to acknow!- edge God as the Creator and Re-Creator who has ownership and authority overall creation and also over himself or herself In keeping the Sabbath, the believer manifests that he ot she belongs fully 10 God and His commandment-keeping peo- ple. Thus the Sabbath is a sign that cotamunicates the unique relationship between God and those who belong to Him who is both their covenant God and sanctifer. ‘The intent of the new covenant isnot to abolish or abrogate the old and the laws ic renews the true intentof the covenant and internalize the law (see Jer. 31:31-34). ‘The old and the new covenants have the same law. There is nothing wrong withthe law. The covenant made with Israel became old because the law remained something outside the Israelite; in the new covenant God will write the faw in the heat (verse 33), internalizing it, makingit a part of the innermost being of man for him to accept, assimilate, and live from within his being. In the new covenant the law, with the Sabbath at its center, will not be satisfied with mere mechanical obedience and lifeless gescures, but with a new life of the Spirit (See Rom, 7:6) that leads to genuine, profound, and authentic obedience and heart worship. Sabbath- keeping isa love response on the partof the Christian to the greatness of God, His creative, liberating, and sanctifying pur poses accomplished in the free gift of life for service through the grace of our Lond Jesus Christ. Sabbathkeeping reveals that ine belongs to God and Jesus Christ, the Loxd of the Sabbath. “The Sabbath, then, is sacred time chat holds together past, present, and future. It provides holy time for profound commu Bin andfellonship withthe Lordof ie It grants a present experience of renewal, redemption, and liberation. It brings joy and peace and frees the believer for the ‘worship of God and for service to Him and to fellow men, The Sabbath cransforms present realities, pointing forward to the promised future realty of anew heaven and a new earth undisturbed by sin * Scripture quotations credited NASB. ce fun def Hoo Aeon Senta Ble te Tockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963,” 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and ae wed y permis * srsnare quotations marked R.S.V. ae fom the Revised Stand Version ef the ‘Bible, ‘Copyrighted 1946, 1952 © 1971, 1973, SE ea eee SW Ree ls ‘Assen, UBlbsepha IS) pe 924 NE Andeenen ‘The Od Testament Sobbach (Missoula, 1972), pp. AGN. Negri Setimo Gio (Rome, 93, pp. 31108, ZH. L Ginsberg, “Poems About Baal and Anath,” in J.B. Pitchazd ed, Ancient Near ‘Easte Texts Relang ce OU Tesiamens (Prince: fob. Ne 1955), pp. 137, 138; EA. Speier, fie Ceciten Eien Pacha... 68 a H.W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testa- sean eee ap lige fe (Grd ap Mich., 1975), Vol. ae ca = “ cunts So Ff an dB Gage oan Ba (Code MED, at Ie Gee peri leran tay eunie van kati nee sound ag otha t sea esas ce Kits ees rey ah ibis Sad fed Siege arcntane *In96i Pope ohn XX ed che ene Matt Mag to sch sted “The (Cabos Ch hrdred fc may ences ar Chiciate ene is doy of ron Smyein A. Fremande, el, The band Enllt et Hard Cons! (Now Yon, 18g 3 Fiery, The Ee Pence, Toward « Nog lg eee (Grant Rep Mc, 192), p20. ee As the rainbow is a perpetual guarantee that God will never again destroy all fle: sh by a universal flood, so the Sabbath is a “‘sign of guarantee” whereby God assures that He will sanctify His people. MINISTRYSEPTEMBERI982. 23